


Curtain Call

by SkeletalConstellation



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: Ballet, Dark Choco is gay and impressed, Fluff, Gross misuse of ballet terminology, I've seen both used so idk, M/M, Tags May Change, Whipped cream is a perfectionist, alright enough rambling in the tags, and also a bit of a personal rant about how ripped actual ballerinos are because DAMN, ballet practice, darkcream, darkwhip, first time writing for this fandom, mid-redemption Dark Choco, sorry if anyone's out of character I'm new and working off what I've got, switches POV a lot I'm sorry, they are intense, this is coming from an ex modern dancer who is to this day terrified/impressed by ballet dancers, this is supposed to be cute and dumb, wayyyyyyy too many mentions of muscles bc I'm salty, you guys depicting W.C. as weak and fragile are doing him dirty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-10-05 18:03:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17329838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkeletalConstellation/pseuds/SkeletalConstellation
Summary: Whipped Cream Cookie practices onstage the night before his opening performance. From the wings, someone decides to watch.





	1. Rehearsal

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! First time writing actual fanfiction. No beta bc I'm alone and got no friends in this fandom yet haha. I also just really love this ship, I'm a sucker for their dynamic.

A delicate hand hit a button on a CD player, bringing the machine to life with the sound of soft, sad piano music.   
   
Whipped Cream Cookie counted himself in, starting his carefully-constructed choreography perfectly on cue. Each step he took was calculated and on time, each pirouette perfected by years of hard work and intense physical training. A petit saut here, followed by a temps levé, followed by a pirouette that lead into a triple run. So far, so good. He was still on beat, not off by even a millisecond. Then, a few beats later, came time to perform a tours en l'air. He did it, toned body easily carrying him through the aerial turn and back to the floor without mistake, but...  
  
Whipped Cream growled, trying to get back on beat- he was off by a fraction of a second, something that had bothered him for days on end. That little detail was getting him distracted, and thus more off tempo. He sighed, stopping his dance and walking over to the CD player, turning it off. He needed to collect himself, and try again- and he needed to get this problem fixed soon, opening night was tomorrow!

 

 

 Dark Choco Cookie was walking in the pouring rain, drowning in their usual storm of self doubt and shame, when they'd heard piano music seeping out of the side door of the theater. They'd tested the door and, finding it open, decided to duck inside- both to satisfy their curiosity and to get somewhere dry. They wandered through the backstage area, following the sound, until they reached the wings. Peering through the black velvet, they felt their heart skip a beat.   
  
They watched the ballerino silently, undamaged eye full of wonder as he danced. They watched powerful muscles ripple and strain with each flawless jump and spin, carrying the dancer's lithe frame. As a (disgraced) knight, Dark Choco understood how much training must have gone into this performance, how strong a body must be to carry itself through such nigh-impossible tasks and strains. The dexterity shown by the dancer was not to be scoffed at, either- his agility would rival that of even White Choco, though Dark Choco would never say that to their sister's face. And his flexibility-

Dark Choco didn't realized their heart had been stolen, but it most certainly had.

 

 

Whipped Cream kept count, starting his choreographed routine again. Petit saut, temps levé, pirouette, triplet. All on beat, all accounted for. Now just get past the tours de l'air. He jumped, turning and landing perfectly on beat. He breathed a sigh of relief, moving on to the next imperfection to deal with. He counted every step, every jump, every effortless turn. He kept waiting for the moment he'd slip, he'd step to early or too late, he'd stumble after a jump, but it never came. He sent out a silent thanks to the swans on his lake back at home for granting him such an error-free performance, realizing this had been his best run yet of this choreography- if only he could keep this up in tomorrow's show.   
  
As the music ended, Whipped Cream looked up, then froze when he realized someone was looking back. 

 

 

The song came to an end, and the dancer looked up and into the wing. Dark Choco felt like they were having a miniature heart attack when pearl-pink eyes met their own. They felt- was it shame? Embarrassment? Whatever it was, they felt their face heat up. They had intruded, watching the ballerino without any invitation to do so. They had come into his space without warrant, and now they had to face the consequences.

Dark Choco Sunk to one knee, closing their eye. "Forgive me. I did not mean to intrude."

  
  
  
Whipped Cream was still in a bit of shock when the stranger bowed before him. Despite how very not okay he should be at this whole situation, he found himself being pretty okay with this whole situation. Admittedly, this might've been in part influenced by the fact that the stranger was hot-  _very_ hot- or maybe it was their immediate apology for being here in the first place. Whipped Cream  _knew_ this should raise so many red flags, but-

"Did you enjoy my performance, monsieur?"

 

Dark Choco looked up, extremely confused. "Ah- I did, sir. It was beautiful."

  
  
Whipped cream felt himself turn a shade of pink at the compliment, tucking a strand of baby-pink hair back in place. 

"I'm doing a performance tomorrow... I'd love for you to come, if you could"

Before Dark Choco could respond, Whipped Cream was digging through his bag. "Hold on, I have an extra- Here we go!"

He handed the stunned knight a pink ticket, stepping away quickly and rubbing his arm. "I mean, you don't have to- But, if you want to, I-"

 

"Thank you."

Dark Choco did their best attempt at a smile, stepping back and carefully tucking the ticket away. 

 

Whipped Cream watched the knight stand up and, after a moment, quickly disappear into the wings and out of sight. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness watching them go, but made a note to look out for them in the audience tomorrow night.  
  
  
Dark Choco stepped back into the rain, still a bit in shock at what had happened, before heading off towards a nearby payphone. They had someone they had to call. They dropped a couple coins in the slot, then dialed the old, familiar number.  
  
"Hey White, it's me. You doing anything tomorrow night? I got a ticket to something, and... and I don't think I can go alone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyy hope you enjoyed this little nonsense oneoff, if you did leave a kudos and a comment! I might revisit this later, depends on how I feel.
> 
> Also, if you're interested, I have an art tumblr, which you can find here: kettle-bird.tumblr.com


	2. Opening Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Choco helps her sibling get ready. Dark Choco has some doubts. Whipped Cream feels a little jittery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me yesterday: This is gonna be a one shot  
> Me today, writing this: Welp
> 
> Hope you like chocofam, this chapter has quite a bit of it.

"This is a mistake."

White Choco Cookie sighed loudly, fixing the brown bow-tie around her neck before turning to her sibling. "Mon Dieu, not this again. Seventy-Five Percent Cacao Dark Chocolate Cookie III,  _you_ were the one who wanted me to come to this little recital," she scolded, running her hands over her cream suit to smooth it out. "And we both know you'll regret it if you back out now. Now tie your tie and button your cuffs and let's  _go_."  
  
Dark Choco stood silently, staring off into space. Upon seeing the sorry state of her eldest sibling, she sighed again, though it did not hold the same frustration. She reached up and fixed their tie, actions a little more gentle than usual. "I know you're nervous, Dark. I've seen that look before- you wore it the day you went on that quest."

  
  
Dark Choco shrugged, looking away from White. "I'm just nervous about seeing Mint and Pink again, is all. I... I hadn't expected them to tag along."

That was half true. Dark Choco hadn't spoken to their brother or youngest sister since their ill-fated quest, and that was years ago. They probably wouldn't be speaking to White right now if she hadn't insisted on dashing her way back into their life- something that Dark Choco was eternally grateful for. But now, at long last, their past had caught up to them, and as luck would have it Mint Choco had previously booked tickets for himself and Pink Choco to the same performance. Although White had assured Dark that they'd be thrilled to see them alive and well, Dark couldn't help but worry what the two youngest Chocos might think of them now- a cursed, feared monster. 

If this had been any other occasion, that would have been the only thing Dark Choco would have been thinking about. But, that wasn't the case. 

At the forefront of their mind was a ballerino twirling in the air, every step elegant in its effortlessness. A dancer that could rival the grace of the most graceful swan, and beauty that could make the most delicate rose bloom look like nothing but a thistle. They could still remember his musical t, like a dozen tiny silver bells ringing. And his eyes, his beautiful rose-tinted eyes... 

 

"Dark! Hey! Dark Choco!"

White Choco barked at her sibling, waving a hand in front of their face. Dark Choco blinked out of their daydream, looking down at the fencer. "What?"  
  
White Choco sighed, then grabbed their arm, pulling them with her to the door. "We're going to be late if you keep dawdling like this! Now let's _go!_ "   
  


Dark Choco nodded, quickly grabbing the gift they'd gotten for the mysterious ballerino- a bouquet of baby pink roses- off White's kitchen table. 

"Alright, White. I'm ready."

* * *

 

 

Whipped Cream felt some jitters in his stomach, keeping him restless and jumpy backstage. It didn't help that the back stage was a bit of a disaster- someone had knocked over something and it had quickly spiraled into an out-of-control nightmare the crew worked quickly to fix. This was his first time performing this particular piece, and although he had gotten it down and perfect yesterday and earlier that day, he still couldn't help but catastrophize over all the "what ifs" running through his head. What if he messed up? What if he hurt himself? What if no one showed up? What if people showed up but they didn't like his dance?  
  
What if  _they_ didn't show up?  
  
Whipped Cream stopped  mid-pace, trying not to think about the tall, dark, and handsome stranger that had wandered into his life. They had been so polite, so humble... Whipped Cream couldn't help but stress. He reasoned that the stranger  _had_ thanked him for the ticket, but they'd also rushed off so quickly...

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of his stage manager's voice, telling everyone backstage to stand by for curtain. Whipped Cream exhaled softly, then fluffed up his collar and smoothed out his costume. No matter, the show must go on,  whether or not  _they_ showed up.

He just hoped they did show up, all the same.

* * *

 

Dark Choco stepped out of the cab, still clutching the flowers in their hands. White payed the driver, then stepped out as well, scanning the crowds for white-streaked green hair. Upon locating her brother, she grabbed Dark Choco's arm and dragged them along with her before they could change their mind  _yet again._ "Minty! Over here!"  
  
Mint Choco turned to face his two eldest siblings, a nervous smile gracing his lips. "There you two are! I was starting to get worried!"

"Apologies," Dark said, tone a formal neutral to hide their own hesitations over seeing Mint again. "Tonight's traffic was bad."

There was a bit of an awkward pause, before White piped up to break the silence. "Where's Pink Choco?"

"She couldn't make it, unfortunately. Caught a bad case of influenza, I'm afraid."

"Oh dear, the poor girl. I'll stop on her this week."

"..."  
  
There was another long, awkward pause. This time, Mint broke the silence.

"So... Shall we head in?"

 

 

Dark Choco read through the program silently, eyes skipping over most of the names until they reached a picture of a familiar face, feeling their heart flutter a bit when they finally read his name.

_Whipped Cream Cookie._

It made sense, they reasoned. His hair had indeed looked like whipped cream, embellished with candy pearls. All the same, finally putting a name to a face was comforting. It added a layer of familiarity, in a way, that was invaluable to them. They looked down at the roses, a perfect pearly pink, like the ballerino's eyes had been- no, enough of those thoughts. These were simply to thank him for the ticket, nothing more. 

The lights slowly grew dimmer and dimmer, until only the stage lights remained on. A cookie walked on stage, reminding everyone of theatre etiquette- turn off your phones, no flash photography, intermission halfway through, et cetera. With that, the cookie left the stage, and the curtains pulled open slowly.  
  
Dark Choco felt themself staring, eye full of wonder, as a silhouette unfurled itself from a set piece as soft, sad music-box music started playing. The lights came up, revealing the dancer.  

Dark Choco's jaw dropped. 

They didn't know their heart could yearn more than it already did, but here they were, put under a spell by the dancer. His dance, slow and measured at first, more graceful than any swan, more precise than a master fencer. Whipped Cream looked in their direction, their eyes meeting for a fraction of a second.

Whipped Cream's smile grew ever-so-slightly.

Dark Choco swore they hallucinated it.

* * *

 

 

Whipped Cream heard the curtains pull back, counting silently for his cue to start his dance. Te lights came on, the heat quickly dispelling any coldness that had seeped into his bones backstage. In his head, he kept silent count, listening for the musical cues that now replaced the voice of his choreographer. As he danced, he scanned the audience secretly, looking for the stranger he longed to see. At first, his brief glances found no results, his heart sinking as his eyes didn't find them amongst the audience.

Then, as he completed a turn, his eyes met one single red iris, and his heart fluttered like a butterfly drunk on honeysuckle. 

Still, he had to be professional. He allowed the knowledge of the stranger's presence to motivate his performance, but didn't steal glances back at them, nor let the thought of them distract him. He wasn't some lovesick ballet student, he was a primo ballerino! 

All the same, he wore a genuine smile on his face.

* * *

 

 

As the curtains closed, Dark Choco slowly became aware that white was looking at him with the biggest shit-eating grin possible. They gripped the roses in their lap, shooting her a glare.

"What do you want?"

"You're absolutely smitten, aren't you?"

Dark Choco felt their face start burning, looking away from her with a huff. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Dark... I've seen  _that_ look all over the mademoiselles at my fencing competitions. You're absolutely smitten over that ballerino."

"I'm not! I just- He gave me the ticket. Am I not allowed to enjoy the dance?" 

"Enjoyed is an understa-"

"I could take you to go meet him, if you want," Mint chimed in softly.

 

Both White and Dark Choco turned to their brother.

Mint shrugged. "I'm friends with him, actually. I've done music for his performances before," Mint explained, nonchalant as ever. "I'm sure I could introduce you to him, if you'd like to give him those flowers."

He did have a point, now that Dark Choco thought about it. Honestly, they hadn't thought about _how_ they'd get Whipped Cream the flowers in the first place, and here Mint was, offering a feasible excuse to deliver them. "You... You'd do that for me?"

"Of course, Dark. You _are_ my sibling."

Dark stared at Mint, frozen by those words. He still considered them siblings? After everything that had happened? After everything they'd done?

"... Thank you, Mint. I would like that very much."

* * *

 

 

Whipped Cream pulled on his sweater, costume safely stowed in its place and bag packed and ready to go. He left through the side door- he'd never been great with crowds- and was met with a friendly, familiar face.

"Minty?"

"In the flesh," the musician chuckled, giving a small, jovial bow. "You did wonderful tonight, Whip."

"You're too...kind..."   
Whipped Cream's voice trailed off as his eyes trailed up, meeting the solitary red eye of a certain someone standing behind the violinist. They stared back for a moment, before blinking and looking away in- was that embarrassment?

Mint cleared his throat, turning to introduce the person behind him. "Ah, Whipped Cream, I'd like to meet my sibling, Dark Choco. Dark Choco, Whipped Cream."  
  
Whipped Cream's mind processed the name Dark Choco, mentally assigning it to the handsome stranger he'd been unable to get off his mind. "Pleasure to meet you, Dark Choco."

 

Dark Choco tried to think of something to say,  _anything_ to say, but only managed to hold the roses out with a gruff "Here." Gods, this was awkward. This was a mistake, they shouldn't have come here-  
  
Whipped Cream took the roses carefully, lifting them to his face to breath in the scent. His heart was melting, this had to be a dream- right? "Thank you, Monsieur," he whispered, looking back up at the knight. Dark Choco stood for a few more awkward seconds, before wordlessly turning around and starting to shuffle away, Mint following behind in confusion.

Whipped Cream felt his heart sink again, and before he knew it his feet were propelling him forward, hand catching Dark Choco's sleeve. "Wait!"

Dark Choco heard him, and felt the tug on his arm. They turned around in surprise, only to feel something made of paper slipped into their hand. Whipped cream took a step back, looking at the ground. "Thank you... For coming to my show."  
  
Dark Choco gripped the little slip tightly, a blush rising over their face. They tried to speak, but were left wordless.

 

Whipped Cream took another step back, before sprinting off into the night, leaving the two Choco siblings alone again.  
  


  
Dark Choco looked at the little paper slip, reading the number written on it in their head.

 

They knew White would never let them hear the end of this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading, leave a kudos and a comment if you liked it, and as always you can find me at kettle-bird on tumblr.


	3. Curtain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight, and Dark Choco can't sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH THIS?  
> SO DID I BUT HERE WE GO

****

_ Hello. This is Dark Choco Cookie. I was wondering if you wanted to _

 

Dark Choco stared at their unfinished, unsent text to Whipped Cream. This was... a lot harder than they expected. They had faced man and beast alike, yet this made them more nervous than any battle of swords. They couldn't face this alone.

So, they called in backup.

 

_ "Ugh, what the hell do you want at midnight?!" _ White Choco groaned, the irritation in her voice amplified by the phone's speaker. Dark Choco was about to correct her when they eyed the clock and- oh, no, she was right, it was 12:00 exactly.

"I need... advice," they muttered, voice as cold and ominous as ever. "There's been an issue I have not been able to deal with on my own."

_ "Is it an emergency, or is it personal?" _

"Personal, but-"

_ "Whiiiiiiiiiite, come to beeeeeeed,"  _  another voice groaned over the receiver, one Dark Choco immediately recognized as a fellow member of the guard. 

White whispered "Coming, Pistachio" to the other voice, before hissing “call me tomorrow. I'm  _ busy _ tonight.” 

With that, she hung up. 

 

Dark Choco sighed, flopping back onto their unmade bed and prodding some dirty laundry off it and onto the floor with their foot. They quietly cursed their rotten luck, eye wandering over the dimly-lit and thoroughly unkempt apartment- they should clean it soon, they thought, the way they did every night when they couldn't sleep. It never got cleaned, they knew full well they probably never would clean it, not until it became unlivable- and even then, it'd only be a ‘maybe' to tidying up. 

They saw the glint of their sword's handle, glancing away quickly as bad memories threatened to flood into the stone-cold depths of their conscious mind. No. They didn't need to be reminded of that right now- that damned sword was too much of a burden during the day, they couldn't let it control them at night, too. 

They turned on their phone, staring at the half-completed text. By the Dark Enchantress' tits, why was this so  _ difficult?  _

_ Hello. This is Dark Choco Cookie. I was wondering if you wanted to _

Damn it, why couldn’t they finish this sentence? They just needed a couple more words and they’d be good to go- so why couldn’t they make the words they needed?

Keep it together Dark Choco,  _ he _ gave  _ you _ his number, unprompted no less. There’s no reason to get overwhelmed. 

They took a deep breath, then started typing.

_ Hello. This is Dark Choco Cookie. I was wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee sometime. _

They pressed ‘send’, then dropped their phone as if it burned them- there was no going back now. 

The near instantaneous regret hit them like a sack of bricks, and they curled onto their side, grabbing their single ratty pillow and hugging it to their chest. Goddamnit, they were going to hell, they just knew it. This was the end, they were still an irredeemable bag of garbage and Whipped Cream probably gave them his number out of pity- that had to be it. There was no way  _ Whipped Cream  _ was genuinely interested in them-

Their phone dinged, and they scrambled for it, fumbling as they tried to unlock it as quickly as possible.

There was a new text message.

_ Oh hello! i have sunday off, does that work for you? we could meet at that cute little cafe on main street, if that sounds good. _

Dark Choco felt warmth bloom in their chest, spreading through their veins and making them feel almost giddy, much to their own surprise. They fumbled through a reply, having to retype it several times in their lovestruck state.

_ Sounds great. When do we meet? _

Ding.

_ is 12 okay?  _

_ Sounds perfect.  _

_ Great! see you then <3 _

Maybe they were reading too much into it, but that little heart at the end made them a blushing mess, and they buried their face in the pillow in front of them. For the first time since they were cursed, they laughed, a happy little giggle that bubbled in their chest and released all the tension held in their shoulders.

 

* * *

 

Whipped Cream sat on the bus, eyes threatening to close by themselves. He’d gotten out of the theatre late- the show had started late and ended later. He should have been out of there by ten thirty, eleven at most- and yet, here he was, on the bus at midnight, only halfway back to his apartment.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, seeing he had a text from an unknown number. His heart beat a beat faster as he allowed himself to hope- could it be the gloomy knight that had haunted his dreams? Please,  _ please… _

He clicked the message, and his heart fluttered like a caged dove.

_ Hello. This is Dark Choco Cookie. I was wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee sometime. _

Whipped typed quickly, sleepiness melting away to excitement.

_ Oh hello! i have sunday off, does that work for you? we could meet at that cute little cafe on main street, if that sounds good. _

He felt a certain guilt from his impatience, but he couldn’t help it- he was too eager to talk to them, to secure a day to see them again.

Buzz.

_ Sounds great. When do we meet? _

Hm. He’d be awake by noon, right? That’d work. Yeah.

_ is 12 okay?  _

Buzz.

_ Sounds perfect.  _

Whipped Cream smiled a little wider.

_ Great! see you then <3 _

As he pressed send, he couldn’t help the happy little squeal that escaped his chest, eliciting a glare from the gentleman next to him. He had a date,  _ he _ had a  _ date,  _ he had a date!

He knew it would be hard to wait until Sunday, but as he got off the bus, he also knew his dreams would be sweet tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My muse for this fic has been reawakened
> 
> (Kudos/Comments are greatly appreciated!)


End file.
